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The
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
Grant County’s newspaper since 1868
W EDNESDAY , M AY 31, 2017
• N O . 22
• 20 P AGES
• $1.00
www.MyEagleNews.com
Iron Triangle
creating two
biomass
processing
facilities
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
FROM EMBERS
TO ASHES
H OMES
AT
RISK MILES
FROM FLAMES
Firewise provides community risk assessments, resources
By Sean Hart
Blue Mountain Eagle
A
s a wildfi re burns, even if the walls
of fl ame do not pose an immediate
threat, embers fl oating in the wind can
ignite homes miles away.
If the burning material enters the
house through a vent or lands on roof debris, it can
smolder until it eventually engulfs the house in
fl ames — even if the original fi re never touches the
surrounding area.
Grant County Firewise Coordinator Irene Je-
rome said the biggest threat to homes is not what
many people think.
“What we fi nally have fi gured out is it’s not the
wall of fl ame,” she said. “The biggest home burner
is embers.”
In addition to having defensible space around
the home to prevent the walls of fl ame — and spot
fi res caused by embers — from encroaching on the
house, owners must also think about the house itself.
Mark Howell, fi re prevention offi cer for the
Malheur National Forest’s Blue Mountain Ranger
District, said a large fi re can distribute embers three
miles away. Uncovered vents and crawlspaces or
See FIREWISE, Page A12
Eagle photos/Rylan Boggs
Mark Howell, the fire protection officer for the Blue Mountain Ranger District, helps
property owner Roy Walker remove bark mulch from near his house in the Pine Creek Area.
TOP PHOTO: Howard Gieger, left, and Phil Bopp tend a burn pile on Gieger’s 40-acre
property in the Pine Creek area on Saturday, May 6. Gieger is the Firewise chairman
for the Pine Creek area.
“
What we finally have figured out is it’s not the wall of flame.
The biggest home burner is embers.” — Irene Jerome, Grant County Firewise coordinator
Two biomass processing
facilities are expected to be up
and running in Grant County
this summer.
Utilizing low-value vege-
tation from the Malheur Na-
tional Forest, the Iron Triangle
plants in Seneca and John Day
will initially produce posts,
poles and chips and could
move into torrefi ed products,
if the market is available.
Torrefaction is the process of
baking biomass into a coal-
like fuel that can be burned.
The mar-
ket for torre-
fi ed material
depends on
the
Port-
land Gener-
al
Electric
power plant
King
in Boardman
Williams
converting
from burning
coal to torrefi ed material, ac-
cording to King Williams of
Iron Triangle. PGE planned to
convert the plant to biomass or
shut it down entirely by 2020.
“If they choose to start
buying, undoubtedly, we will
be in that market,” Williams
said.
Neither of the facilities
currently have torrefaction
equipment, but Williams said
if it was needed they would
get it.
A state grant will aid the
construction of the project in
John Day. The county is pass-
ing state funds and liability to
Iron Triangle through a series
of intergovernmental agree-
ments. Iron Triangle will pro-
vide a minimum of $1.75 mil-
lion, and a state grant through
Business Oregon will provide
$811,800. Iron Triangle is
required to provide at least
10 jobs for eight consecutive
quarters and operate the facil-
ity for 10 years.
Williams said the 10 jobs
were a minimum requirement,
and there would likely be
more. The John Day facility
will chip and sort materials to
be sent to the Seneca facility
or elsewhere.
The Seneca facility will
sort and chip material and
produce poles, Williams said.
Iron Triangle will be creat-
ing the facility on part of the
old Grant Western Lumber
property in John Day.
See BIOMASS, Page A12
Loggers association suggests federal
reforms to improve forest economy
B & M Timber awarded for Canyon Creek Complex salvage
By Sean Hart
Blue Mountain Eagle
For the fi rst time since 2013, the Oregon De-
partment of Forestry and Associated Oregon Log-
gers hosted an operators dinner in John Day May
17, where attendees heard updates on the industry,
legislation and insect problems.
Associated Oregon Loggers Forest Policy Man-
ager Rex Storm said, although there have been
changes since 2013, the forest economy remains
“very slack,” with only one local mill and lean
timber supply. The problem is not a shortage in
demand, he said, but a lack of a “suffi cient and re-
liable volume of timber” preventing investment in
mills, making it diffi cult to fi nd buyers for private
logs.
While ODF primarily works with private land-
owners, Storm said the timber supply from the
larger national forests has more impact on the log-
ging infrastructure. He said, while the association
looks forward to the completion of the forest plan
revision that has been in progress for many years,
he is “not optimistic” it will have the legal suffi -
ciency for a sustainable timber supply. He said har-
vest levels need to double or triple to improve the
economy.
Storm said he was hopeful President Donald
Trump would usher in changes needed at the feder-
al level. He said four steps would improve timber
supply: a forest plan with legal suffi ciency for local
authority; Forest Service leadership reform; Forest
See FOREST, Page A12
The Eagle/Sean Hart
Oregon Department of Forestry Stewardship
Forester Kirk Ausland, right, congratulates Brad
Clemens of B & M Timber on receiving a Central
Oregon District Merit Award for his salvage
logging efforts after the Canyon Creek Complex
at an ODF and Associated Oregon Loggers
operators dinner May 17 in John Day.